Monday, February 20, 2006

Ob La Di Ob La Da

A friend of mine and Andrew's (closer to an acquaintance than a pal) committed suicide on Friday night. We found out Saturday morning. Dude drove his motorcycle to a town near where he was living, checked into a hotel, and shot himself in the head.

Wow. What kind of dumbass decision is that? From the outside, he had everything to live for. He had a great agent, a film premiere at Slamdance last year, and he was shooting a pilot. He and Andrew were collaborating on a coffee table humor book (that's 3/4 complete). He had a lot of friends that would've been more than happy to talk about whatever situation he was facing that he felt he couldn't resolve.

So the question we were facing this weekend was what to do. Should we hold a memorial service to celebrate this dumbass friend who killed himself (which acts as a validation of what he did)? Or should we quitely move on? I was pissed when I found out about it, and I wasn't the only one. I can't grieve for him. If he had said something to anyone, he could've gotten help. But he apparently didn't want help. I don't think suicide is a cry for help. I think it's a coward's way out of confronting and handling problems. Sure, things may be tough and seem unresolvable, but there are solutions.

Andrew and I are moving on. He may finish the book but he doesn't know the legal issues he may be facing with the creative property. We've had such a hellacious week that there are no tears left for a coward. Life goes on.